Growth of population, climate change and environmental issues challenge us to develop a bioeconomy that is sustainable. The growing demand will result in scarcity of natural resources and thus the availability of raw materials and the efficiency of their use will become a new competitive advantage. Increasing environmental awareness of consumers and more stringent legislation will also be drivers that shape the market, favouring products that have less impact on the environment. Forest industries are well positioned to meet this challenge.

This keynote is going to highlight the opportunities for the forest industry in the future bio and circular economies. Recent activities in Finland by the industries, research and government are used an example to show how the traditional forest industry can transform itself into a diversified bio-based industry. Activities and initiatives from the EU are of great relevance both as enablers and potential barriers for this transformation and selected current issues will be discussed.

Panelists

CEO Panel Discussion

RISI has brought together CEOs from some of the top companies in Europe to discuss topics that include: Opportunities for expansion into Eastern Europe; Risk Management, Competition from Outside Europe, the Region’s place in the Global Industry, the impact of Big Data and Industry 4.0 on what some perceive as an old fashioned industry.

CEOs from Progroup, Sappi Fine Paper Europe, Stora Enso and Smurfit Kappa will be challenged on their view of the pulp and paper landscape in Europe and beyond by well-known industry analyst Barry Dixon.

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10:45

Coffee and Tea Networking Break

Transformation

The financial and subsequent economic crisis from 2008 to 2013 confronted all companies, industries and businesses with their most fundamental weaknesses and forced them to rethink their strategies. The Pulp and Paper Industry is no exception and one company even put the word Rethink into its logo! Disruptive technology, geopolitical uncertainty nearer to home, climate change legislation, regulation, artificial intelligence, new materials, opportunities and market rules are driving innovation over the parapet of the incremental and towards transformation. Beneath the current stock market volatility lies an expectation that business leaders will deliver on this transformation. But their roles have also changed: they need a new relationship with the state and government, who need a profoundly deeper understanding of how business and investment works. We are living through the end of one era and the painful birth into another.

Opportunities and Risk in Eastern Europe

What opportunities are there to invest in Eastern Europe in the forest products industry? What are the pitfalls, and what are the potential gains of a venture into the east. What countries and regions are open to development and investments? Anna Tokarz from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has a wealth of experience and talks about opportunities and risks when looking to the east.

12:30

Networking Lunch

The Global Economy: Emerging Market Troubles

In the past year, the global economy has seen some dramatic changes; a slowing Chinese economy, the re-pricing of commodities, troubles in emerging markets, unprecedented actions by the world’s central banks, and increased geo-political tensions. Leadership in the global economy has transitioned from the now cooling emerging markets to developed economies. What are the prospects for emerging markets economies? Can developed economies drive the global economy?

Rapidly Changing Food Packaging Trends

David Scheible, RISI’s North American CEO of the Year for 2015 and CEO of US and European giant Graphic Packaging Holding Company is coming to Berlin to speak on the dramatic changes taking place in trends for food packaging. Graphic Packaging Holding Company is one of the world’s largest manufactures of fiber-based food packaging, and counts global brands Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, Miller Coors, Nestle and Pepsi Co. among its many customers. David Scheible will talk about how modern trends in food consumption – for instance “on demand and on the run” consumer habits are completely transforming the industry.

Sacks and the City: A London Financier's Love of Packaging

Having focused on the global packaging industry for over 20 years, corporate financier Nicholas Mockett of Moorgate Capital will discuss the allure and attractions of the multi-faceted packaging industry from a capital markets and investment banking perspective. Nicholas will consider how the overall industry has performed, including fibre and plastics based packaging, look at a relative peer analysis, and explain what attracts investors to the sector including the role of private equity funds. He will also cover Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) activity in the packaging industry and the structure of the industry across all substrates and the packaging supply chain.

15:45

Coffee and Tea Networking Break

Global Boxboard Outlook

Boxboard is one of the fastest growing sectors of the global forest products industry. However, the Chinese boxboard industry has been in the midst of a massive round of capacity expansion for the last five years, with new supply in that market exceeding global growth in demand. Not surprisingly, this has led to significant shifts in global trade. As recently as 2011, China was a net importer of boxboard. However, that changed in 2012, and the country's net exports approached 1.0 million tonnes in 2014. As a result, global exporters have not only been displaced from the Chinese market, the largest in the world, but are also facing increased competition in other rapidly growing parts of the world, such as the rest of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and even Europe and the Americas.

There was some hope that the global trade situation would improve after 2016 as the current round of capacity expansion in China came to a close. However, that was before three European graphic paper companies announced plans to convert mills to produce virgin cartonboard grades. This will extend the imbalances in the global markets out to at least 2017, barring any other unannounced conversions. While the new capacity may be needed to meet long-term demand growth for the boxboard grades, the timing indicates that there will be at least three more years of a difficult environment for exporters.

Understanding the Transformation of the European Packaging Industry

Demand for packaging papers is definitely growing, although not every segment is growing the same. The packaging industry is perceived to be a much healthier industry. And although that still remains to be true, all changes happening in Europe and the World are definitely having an impact on how healthy the industry is. Throughout my presentation I will review the current market conditions for all major packaging grades, giving an emphasis to containerboard. I will also review in detail the large amount of capacity additions and what the consequences will be on the supply and demand balances.

17:15

Close of Day One

17:30

Cocktail Reception

Come join us for a cocktail reception at one of the best cocktail bars in Mitte Berlin! Food and beverages are included. The rivabar is about a 5-10 minute walk from the Radisson Blu Hotel Berlin. RISI Staff will be meeting in the hotel lobby and will walk over at 17:30.

Boosting Pulp and Paper with Science

What does self-opening packaging, textile like paperboard and the world’s first lignin-based carbon fibre composite have in common? They are all demonstrators of future use of wood fibres developed by Innventia – a world leading research institute that works with innovations based on forest raw materials.

Fredrik Rosén will present Innventia’s approach to foresight driven innovation. Highlights from the Innventia Global Outlook Reports “Packaging 2020” and “Papermaking Towards the Future” will be presented. Packaging 2020 describes seven global forces and their impact on the packaging industry and the packaging of the future. The conclusions are based on a survey carried out among consumers in the US, India and Sweden. “Papermaking Towards the Future” is based on an expert survey with 150 respondents from 21 different countries and maps the most important trends and driving forces for tomorrow’s papermaking.

Panelists

Industry 4.0: Transforming the Industry from the Inside

Industry 4.0 is being hailed as the instigator of the next ‘industrial revolution’, and it is said that it will be responsible for industry moving onto the next level of completely automated processes.

But there are questions; isn’t Industry 4.0 just another name for Big Data? Haven’t other industries, for instance the printing industry, been doing this for decades? How is Industry 4.0 being applied in the pulp and paper industry? And most importantly what does it do to the bottom line?

RISI has invited some guest speakers from some large companies, both producers and suppliers that operate right in the middle of the reality Industry 4.0, and there are some surprising revelations.

12:45

Networking Lunch

Global Graphic Paper Outlook

Newsprint is already a declining market globally, and there is a high probability that other printing and writing paper grades are already headed in that direction. Is the decline in China a short term correction, or is it an omen of trends to come in the developing economies? The lack of demand growth and the inevitable oversupply in such an environment is causing pressure for increased global trade. This increased trade combined with unusual currency moves is sparking protectionist measures in several countries that is extending a significant influence onto global markets.

The Changing World of Graphics

There are no new disruptive forces… only different ways the same challenges are impacting our environment, at least for the moment. The digital revolution has now changed the way we deal with media on a daily basis, across all generations. Unavoidably, this revolution has come to challenge the way we utilize media, shifting our attention away from established channels into a more fragmented media landscape, which now includes the Internet and other mobile media channels. All that is true, but what is also true is the fact that print is not disappearing, although it is getting scarcer. The consequences of this are clear, lower paper consumption, lower margins for producers, merchants, printers, and anyone that is somehow linked to the print industry. But not all are bad news; this state of secular decline is also creating awareness on the unique values of print media, and through this discovery is that print will manage to survive.

Throughout my presentation I will analyze the current conditions of all five main graphic grades in Europe. I will talk about demand drops, changes in trade flows, and how capacity rationalization is impacting the supply and demand balances. I will also talk about conversions, focusing on the areas graphic paper producers are looking at, and why. But will also talk about the challenges and difficulties of conversions going forward.

Coffee and Tea Networking Break

"Smart Factory" Evolving Towards an Integrated Business Approach

The world we live in is witnessing an increasingly widespread adoption and usage of digital technology. We are getting “smarter and smarter”.

Being “smart” is a new approach to things and business as well. An approach based on knowledge and use of intelligent data in the seek of a single version of the truth that can help us make the best decisions while mitigating risk with the ultimate goal to grow our organizations and keep shareholders happy by making profit.

At Fabio Perini we have embraced digitization as an element of change and are focusing on transforming the way people and machine interact by using data and analytics in a new way to drive efficiency gains, enhance productivity and ultimately achieve operational excellence at the plant level.

The Western European tissue market suffered from the consequences of the 2009 recession for about five years, and only very recently demand growth started to improve again. This was mainly due to Southern Europe where economies continued to be depressed, causing high unemployment and major cuts in purchasing power with negative effects on tissue consumption, in the AfH sector in particular. Finally, the situation has started to improve with major steps, which has already resulted in a wave of new investment plans. Eastern Europe recovered much quicker than Western Europe and Russian strong demand growth was a main driver. But most recently the war between Russia and Ukraine has broken the favorable trend and negative economic growth has taken its toll in these countries with some reflections also in their main trading partner countries.

Paris Agreement and Its Potential Implications

On 12 December, 2015, the participating 195 countries of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference agreed by consensus to the final global pact, the Paris Agreement, to reduce emissions as part of the method for decreasing greenhouse gases. The members agreed to reduce their carbon output "as soon as possible" and to do their best to keep addressing global warming. The Paris Agreement will not become binding for its member states until the 55 parties who produce over 55% of the world's greenhouse gases have ratified it, and there is doubt whether some will agree to do so. Each country that ratifies the agreement will be required to set a target for emission reduction, but the amount will be voluntary.

In this timely presentation, Ville Henttonen will discuss the key characteristics of the Paris Agreement and its possible implications, including changes that may affect the global pulp and paper industries. Ville has analyzed mill operations for over a decade and he will share his view on how much energy usage, costs and carbon emissions can vary. He will also discuss potential measures to reduce the industry’s energy usage and carbon emissions, which will be a huge business opportunity for the suppliers of various bioenergy and clean technology solutions.